Russian Diplomat Cancels US Meeting In Protest Over Sanctions And "Destructive" US Policy

Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov cancelled an upcoming meeting with the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., according to AP, in retaliation to the Trump administration's announcement on Tuesday that it has imposed sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and firms over Russian activities in Ukraine.

Ryabkov said that "the situation is not conducive to holding a round of this dialogue" that was scheduled for Friday and criticized the U.S. for “not having offered and not offering anything specific” to discuss.

"We have said from the very beginning of Washington's exceptionally destructive policy in regard to applying anti-Russia sanctions, that [such measures] will not and cannot have an effect desired by the US on our individuals or entities," Ryabkov told RIA Novosti Tuesday.

The decision to widen the list came as President Trump met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the White House.

Shannon, who is currently meeting with United Kingdom officials in London, was set to meet with Ryabkov in St. Petersburg on Friday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin said it regrets the new U.S. sanctions against Russia and warned of possible retaliation. Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. move wasn’t constructive, adding that “various options are being considered on expert level.”

Russia also said the new U.S. sanctions continue the "destructive trend" set by Obama administration.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it has imposed additional sanctions on 38 Russian individuals and firms over Russian activities in Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that the penalties are designed to "maintain pressure on Russia to work toward a diplomatic solution." However, overnight Democrats were furious after House Republicans stalled the recently passed broader Senate bill expanding sanctions on Russia further - and which led to loud protests by European allies over potential fines over use of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline - stating the bill violated the origination clause of the Constitution.

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… Earlier on Wednesday, the Kremlin warned of possible retaliation… And here it comes… Russia’s Foreign Ministry has announced that “In response to the recently expended US sanctions against Russia, Moscow withdraws from all bilateral consultations with the United States”. It looks like their next logical/reciprocal step is to eject 35 American diplomats from Russia and seize a couple of diplomatic properties in Moscow. Looney

Who's calling the shots:Israel’s Dirty Little SecretHow it drives US policies exploiting a spineless Congress and White HouseBy Philip GiraldiGlobal Research, June 21, 2017The Unz Review 20 June 2017Region: Middle East & North Africa, USATheme: History, Law and Justice, Media Disinformation, Police State & Civil Rights, US NATO War AgendaIn-depth Report: IRAN: THE NEXT WAR?At a recent panel discussion in Washington, screenwriter, film director and producer Oliver Stone briefly addressed the issue of alleged Russian interference in the recent national election, observing that “Israel interfered in the U.S. election far more than Russia and nobody is investigating them.” A few days later, in an interview with Stephen Colbert on the Late Show, Stone returned to the theme, responding to an aggressive claim that Russia had interfered in the election by challenging Colbert with “Israel had far more involvement in the U.S. election than Russia. Why don’t you ask me about that?” Don’t look for the exchange with Colbert on YouTube. CBS deleted it from its broadcast and website, demonstrating once again that the “I” word cannot be disparaged on national television. Stone was, of course, referring to the fact that the Israel Lobby, most notably acting through its American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is undeniably a foreign lobby, no less so than anyone representing the presumed interests of Russia or China. It operates with complete impunity on Capitol Hill and also at state and local levels and no one dares to require it to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, which would permit scrutiny of its finances and also end its tax-exempt “educational” status. Nor does Congress or the media see fit to inquire into AIPAC’s empowerment of candidates based on their fidelity to Israel, not to mention the direct interference in the American electoral process which surfaced most visibly in its support of candidate Mitt Romney in 2012. The last president that sought to compel the predecessor organization of AIPAC to register was John F. Kennedy, who also was about to take steps to rein in Israel’s secret nuclear weapons program when he was assassinated, which was a lucky break for Israel, particularly as Kennedy was replaced by the passionate Zionist Lyndon Baines Johnson. Funny how things sometimes work out. The Warren Commission looked deeply into a possible Cuban connection in the shooting and came up with nothing but one has to wonder if they also investigated the possible roles of other countries. Likewise, the 9/11 Commission Report failed to examine the possible involvement of Israel in the terrorist attack in spite of a considerable body of evidence suggesting that there were a number of Israeli-sourced covert operations running in the U.S. at that time. Looking back from the perspective of his more than 40 years of military service, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Thomas Moorerdescribed the consequences of Jewish power vis-à-vis U.S. policy towards Israel, stating that“I’ve never seen a president – I don’t care who he is – stand up to them [the Israelis]. It just boggles your mind. They always get what they want. The Israelis know what is going on all the time. I got to the point where I wasn’t writing anything down. If the American people understood what a grip those people have got on our government, they would rise up in arms. Our citizens don’t have any idea what goes on.” He also addressed the 1967 Israeli assault on the USS Liberty, saying“Israel attempted to prevent the Liberty’s radio operators from sending a call for help by jamming American emergency radio channels. [And that] Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned lifeboats at close range that had been lowered to rescue the most-seriously wounded.” He concluded with “our government put Israel’s interests ahead of our own? If so, Why? Does our government continue to subordinate American interests to Israeli interests?” It is a question that might well be asked today, as the subservience to Israeli interests is, if anything, more pervasive in 2017 Washington than it was in 2002 when Moorer spoke up. And, as in Moorer’s day, much of the partiality towards Israel makes its way through congress with little or no media coverage lest anyone begin to wonder whose tail is wagging which dog. To put it succinctly, there is an Israeli hand in much of what the United States does internationally, and the involvement is not intended to do anything good for the American people. During the past several weeks alone there has been a flurry of legislation backed by Israel and its Lobby. One bill might actually have been written by AIPAC. It is called Senate 722, Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017. The bill has 63 co-sponsors, most of whom are the usual suspects, but it also included an astonishingly large number of Democrats who describe themselves as progressive, including Corey Booker and Kamila Harris, both of whom are apparently terrified lest they say “no” to Israel. With 63 co-sponsors out of 100 senators the bill was certain to pass overwhelmingly, and it was indeed approved 98 to 2, with only Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders voting “no.” And there’s more to S.722 than Iran – it’s subtitle is “An act to provide congressional review and to counter Iranian and Russian governments’ aggression.” Much of it is designed to increase sanctions on both Iran and Russia while also limiting the White House’s ability to relieve any sanctions without approval by congress. Regarding Iran, the bill mandates that“Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of National Intelligence shall jointly develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for deterring conventional and asymmetric Iranian activities and threats that directly threaten the United States and key allies in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond.” The premise is of course nonsensical as Iran’s ability to threaten anyone, least of all the United States, is limited. It is far outgunned by its neighbors and even more so by the U.S., but it has become the enemy of choice for congress as well as for the former generals who serve as White House advisers. The animus against Iran comes directly from Israel and from the Saudi Arabians, who have managed to sell their version of developments in their part of the world through a completely acquiescent and heavily Jewish influenced western media. And there’s more. A bill has surfaced in the House of Representatives that will require the United States to “consult” with Israel regarding any prospective arms sales to Arab countries in the Middle East. In other words, Israel will have a say, backed up undoubtedly by Congress and the media, over what the United States does in terms of its weapons sales abroad. The sponsors of the bill, one Brad Schneider of Illinois, and Claudia Tenney of New York, want “closer scrutiny of future military arms sales” to maintain the “qualitative military edge” that Israel currently enjoys. Schneider is, of course, Jewish and a life member of AIPAC, so it is hardly as if he is a disinterested party. Tenny runs for office in New York State, so it is hardly as if she is disinterested either, but the net result of all this is that American jobs and U.S. international security arrangements through weapons sales will be at least in part subject to Israeli veto. And you know that is precisely what will happen as Israel could give a damn what happens to the struggling American entity that it so successfully feeds off of. And there’s still more. Bill HR 672 Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2017 was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives on June 14th. Yes, I said “unanimously.” The bill requires the State Department to monitor what European nations and their police forces are doing about anti-Semitism and encourages them to adopt “a uniform definition of anti-Semitism.” That means that criticism of Israel must be considered anti-Semitism and will therefore be a hate crime and prosecutable, a status that is already de facto true in Britain and France. If the Europeans don’t play ball, there is the possibility of repercussions in trade negotiations. The bill was co-sponsored by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from Florida and Nita Lowey of New York, both of whom are Jewish. There is also a Senate companion bill on offer in the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2017. The bill will make the Anti-Semitism Envoy a full American Ambassador and will empower him or her with a full staff and a budget permitting meddling worldwide. The bill is sponsored by Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Marco Rubio of Florida. Gillibrand is unlikely to miss co-sponsoring anything relating to Israel due to her own self-interest and Rubio wants to be president real bad so he is following the money. And finally, the U.S. Senate has also approved a resolution celebrating the 50th anniversary of Israel’s conquest of East Jerusalem. Again, the vote was unanimous. The resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Charles Schumer and Mitch McConnell, two reptiles who give snakes a bad name and about whom the less said the better. Schumer is Jewish and has described himself as the “shomer” or guardian of Israel in the Senate. That the resolution opposes long established U.S. government policy that the occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank by Israel is in contravention of international law and is an impediment to any peace process with the Palestinians apparently bothered not even one Senator.I might note in passing that there has been no Senate resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the bravery exhibited by the officers and crew of the USS Liberty as they were being slaughtered by the Israelis at the same time as Jerusalem was being “liberated.” There is probably even more to say, to include secret agreements with the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, but I will stop at this point with one final observation. President Donald Trump traveled to the Middle East claiming to be desirous of starting serious negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but it was all a sham. Benjamin Netanyahu took him aside and came out with the usual Israeli bullshit about the Palestinians “inciting” violence and hatred of Jews and Trump bought into it. He then went to see Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and shouted at him for being a liar and opposed to peace based on what Netanyahu had told him. That is what passes for even-handed in the U.S. government, no matter who is president. A few days later the Israelis announced the building of the largest bloc of illegal new settlements on the West Bank since 1992, an action that they claim is being coordinated with Washington. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon once boasted about owning the United States. I guess he was right. - See more at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/israels-dirty-little-secret/5595437#sthash…

Congress'total weakness and love for money from nothing means that anybody who pays can get anything the Payers want, done. Our nation is damned, as those that print the checks rule the roost! No thought of the future of the U.S. worth passing onto the children.

Not to argue witcha, but I don’t think the Russians will start shooting down our planes in Syria, not yet anyway. First, a couple of Predators or Raptors will get shut down. Second, a plane of a non-NATO country from the US-led coalition (that’s why Australia has suspended all flights over Syria). Only then, if we keep fucking around with them, they will aim at our planes. I think? ;-) Looney

The USA would need an allied plane shot down, not an American one.If an American one gets shot down, then Americans will ask why are we even flying over there. The public is becoming even more weary of yet another Middle Eastern war. BUT, if an allied plane gets shot down, suddenly the MSM talking point will be about coming to the support of an "ally" who was wrongfully attacked in an international tragedy. Even better if the dead pilot is photogenic. To put an "international face" on things to create the illusion that all coalition bullshit in Syria is kosher. That's right, Australia and Canada, your people are to be sacrificed for the Good of the Empire.

"If an American one gets shot down, then Americans will ask why are we even flying over there. The public is becoming even more weary of yet another Middle Eastern war."I disagree. Freedom fries, bitchez. Americans have been brainwashed to hate Russia. The public will want retaliation."We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way" - a very popular hillbilly song

Or, it could be that the Russians will most likely take down a coalition jet, not that an su-22 is par value for an Aussie F-18 but par value for taking down a partner aircraft and would demonstrate two things 1) we can hit your friends also 2) the myth of western hardware superiority would be broken. IOW, if they can take down an Aussie hornet the American ones shouldn't be a problem either.

If the Russians were cunning, they'd mark up a plane or two to look like an Israeli air force fighter and do a USS Liberty repeat. The Russians probably have a few F16's in a hangar somewhere to make this an easy task.That would throw a huge well-deserved wrench in US-Israeli relations.

US is intent on giving a state to Kurds or alternatively royally screwing them over. Here is the map, try to guess biggest looser: http://brilliantmaps.com/kurds/By virtue of recognizing Kosovo (even without referendum) US has opened the door for many independence movements. Despite their wishes, precedent has been established and I am really curious to see how it's going to play out: recognize referendums as a path to independence or squash Kurds into dirt. Even some half-measures are sure to infuriate Turkey and even if Kurds get all the land they inhabit, Iran-Iraq-Syria-Lebanon crescent will not be cut, which are arguments against Kurdish state. On the other hand Israel would greatly benefit from distraction and raising tensions in the region if the independence drive goes on. It should be soon enough now that we see what choice is made, in a meanwhile I'm stacking the popcorn...

If Russia is getting Turkey and Iran into a new 'hostile hinterland' facing off with Isreal and Saudi Arabia, the only question is where is the frontier? Someplace in Syria and Iraq, or are those areas already effectively lost to the radical Sunni/Zionist forces?The 'Shia Crescent' is a fait accompli at this point. The Kurds, Qataris, and even Jordanians had better think hard about how this might all go.Israeli and Saudi natural gas are not getting to Europe except by (expensive) ship. Or through Turkish/Iranian/Russian cooperation.I sincerely hope that Trump is in on this and will wait for the appropriate time to inform Israel and the Saudis that the USA isn't actually all that interested in Eurasian affairs, and they'd better work with Russia, China, and the true regional powers (Egypt, Iran and Turkey) on selling their insignificant little resource and technology wares into the Eurasian markets. Some consideration on security, support for terror, and even a couple minor territorial matters may need to be amicably settled first, of course.......Or is it neolibcon Clinton/McCain war? Those are the two roads. The fork is upon us. May God Bless Our Fair Republic

Probably, but that's just cosmetic. Cut off gas pipe line to Ukraine, demand immediate payment of all outstanding debt before it's restored is what I'd consider.There is no point of talking with Americans. It's not IF it will escalate but how quickly.Putin might not do this because he's biding time to finish getting off the visa and implementing gold standard in Russia's business with China.... They might simply need more time.Washington psychopats seem bend on driving humanity towards nuclear apocalypse

“These people are playing with matches… I don’t think they understand the scope and scale of the wildfire they are flirting with. They are fucking around with a civil war that could last a decade and cause millions of deaths… and the sad truth is that 95% of the problems we have in this country could be solved tomorrow, by noon… simply by dragging 100 people out in the street and shooting them in the fucking head.”

And lemme tell ya, he had the list… he rattled off 25 or 30 names of well-known, prominent politicians, mostly Democrats, but a few Republicans, several members of the current Cabinet, a couple of Obama’s “czars”, a couple of figures from the Bush administration and the Republican establishment, several media company executives and on-camera newscasters, reporters, and pundits, a couple of people who are active in leftist politics but not in elected office… he had obviously thought about this to some degree already.

If taking people out and having them shot fixed anything, then the Soviet Union and China would still be here or unchanged.The problem is the total absence of leadership of our leadership. Just about all of them are middling technocrats simply passing the time before they leave office. To quote Noam Chomsky, most politicians are just temporarily displaced bankers.... and the reason why we don't have decent leadership? Because voters don't vote for honest people, even when they're on the ballot. That's why the last choice was between Trump and HRC. Establishments behind both lined up behind these people because they could see how they were just empty, weak vessels that they could bamboozle people to vote for. In that vein, HRC is the problem while someone like Trump is just the symptom.I love that comment about how the people voted twice to reset the system, and twice it failed to respond.I'm scared. The railroading of a lukewarm New Dealer like Sanders by the Democratic leadership basically was a thumb in the eye of the average person, and if the average person no longer feels any regard for the rules, what's next? If those at the top know this and fail to act, or are just too stupid to see it means only one course of action. Their marginalization into replacement.

US leaders answer to those who get them elected. That would be corporations, lobbyists and the banksters who bankroll them. Voting hasn't changed much of anything for the better part of 100 years in this incredibly fucked up country.

I'd wager we could make a pretty good start. Start with dual citizens and the BIS membership and work down the list. Unfortunately, it is not just the banker you would have to elimiate but also the media barons and big corporate leaders.

All in all, 8500 reptiles in the pyramid's apex if Roland Bernard is to be trusted.In other words, a piece of cake. Perhaps someone could start a crowdfunding project to finance a few assassinations...

What's funny is that the sanctions have foisted upon Russia the need for import substitution. In the case of agriculture, they say Russia in a few years will be able to flood Europe with high-quality, non-GMO product.THis is why the rank-and-file of the populace is getting tired of all this elitist bullcrap because those at the bottom know, we have to shovel all that shit raining down on us. And for what? So a bunch of douchebags can jet set around the world for their meetings and such? F**k that.Regime change in Kiev? I think we need it more than they did.

One thing that would make Vlad very happy and go a long way to improve the situation would be to Arkancide George Soros and sieze all assets associated with the Open Society Foundation and all other Soros funded NGO's